Page 4 of Caring for Cailin

“You flew it?”

His lips tip up again. “I did.” Casting a quick look around the basement, he continues more quietly, “I used to be a Night Stalker. Still love flying, and I’ve got a few aircraft myself. So when Webb asked for help finding Noelle, I was glad to help.”

I try to imagine Memphis sitting in a pilot’s seat, and I find it fits him. He has a confidence I’d want a pilot to have, and a steadiness that would assure me I’m going to arrive at my destination safely.

“Thanks for coming,” I tell him. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get out—” Emotion swells, and my voice catches.

His hand briefly rests on my arm. “You’re going home. That’s a promise.”

Tears threaten. My nose prickles. “I… I’m not sure if I have a home anymore.”

Memphis frowns. “We’ll help you?—”

“You don’t even know me,” I blurt. “You came here for Noelle. Not me. You don’t owe me anything.”

He stares at me for a moment before speaking. “We came for Noelle. But that doesn’t mean we’re turning our backs on you.”

Feeling small and scared and uncertain, I admit something I haven’t said to anyone else. “I feel so stupid. Going to that casting by myself. Not telling anyone about it. I didn’t want more competition. My roommates, they’re actors, too. Or at least, theyweremy roommates. Now… I’m not sure. They probably sold my things. Found a new roommate. And I know it’s stupid, worrying about that when Hector and Paul could be dying?—”

“It’s not stupid.” Memphis holds my gaze. “You’ve been through a lot. More than any person should have to. And—” He stops. “Cailin, right?”

I nod. “Yes.”

“Cailin,” he repeats. “We’ll help you. I’ll help you. You’re not alone in this. Okay?”

There’s just something in his expression that makes me want to trust him. “Do you promise?”

“I promise,” he replies. “I have a lot of faults, but being a liar isn’t one of them. Whatever you need, I’ll help you.”

I want to thank him. But instead, I burst into tears.

“Ah, Cailin,” he murmurs, looking flustered for once. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry,” I sob.

Memphis stares at me for another moment, indecision clear in his eyes. Then he leans over and pulls me gently into his arms.“It’s okay,” he croons. His hand smooths down my hair. “Maybe not right now. But it will be.”

CHAPTER 1

ONE YEAR LATER

MEMPHIS

Not for the first time, and I’m sure not the last, I find myself wondering why I keep coming here.

It’s not as if Cailin needs me. Not anymore.

She has an apartment. A job. A car. Money tucked away in the bank, thanks to the money that piece of shit Dario was forced into paying her.

A year ago, I would have said differently. Back then, Cailin was struggling. She didn’t have a job or a place to stay. Traumatized by her captivity and the horrors she’d seen, she was too scared to do much of anything other than hide in the hotel room I’d arranged for her.

“I can’t bring myself to go outside,” she admitted tearfully when I offered to help her look for a new job. “Just thinking about it makes me feel sick. And the idea of going to casting calls again… I just can’t.”

I wasn’t about to force her. Not when she was so obviously hurting. Not when I could still see the fear in her expressive amber eyes.

Instead, I assured her she could take as long as she needed. And when she nervously inquired about the cost of the hotel after staying there for two weeks, I made up a story about some charitable organization rather than the truth, which was that I paid for it myself.

Why wasn’t I honest with her? I’m not sure. Maybe even then, I didn’t want to admit how invested I was.